1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to attachments for buckets intended for application to backhoes and related excavating machinery.
More particularly, the present invention relates to rippers coupled to construction equipment buckets for breaking up materials being handled thereby.
In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention concerns a method and apparatus for providing field-installable and detachable rippers for attachment to buckets of the type employed with backhoes and similar earth-moving equipment.
2. Prior Art
Attachments of great variety in construction and purpose are often employed with construction equipment such as backhoes and the like. For example, buckets of varying width and capacity are often employed in accordance with the amount of material to be removed and in conformance with the width and depth of opening desired. For example, a ditch for installation of plumbing need only be wide enough to accommodate the plumbing and the work involved in installation thereof. A relatively narrow bucket having a relatively small capacity is appropriate for this task, while a larger bucket is useful for excavation of larger areas such as basements, foundations and beds for roadways, for example.
Accordingly, it is often necessary to provide several bucket sizes at a single construction site, which site may be at some remove from a contractor's equipment storage and maintenance facilities. In many cases, this is most readily accomplished by providing excavation equipment with a plurality of different attachments which are relatively easily interchanged at the construction site. A further advantage is provided by this arrangement in that attachments which become damaged in the course of ordinary use or in transit between jobs are readily replaced without loss of utility of the excavating equipment.
Rippers having varying numbers of teeth and associated with buckets of differing capacities are often desirable in excavating applications. These instruments are typically welded to the buckets and fulfill at least two useful purposes: they facilitate breaking up of materials generally resistant to removal and they also increase the efficiency of the excavation equipment by enabling increased bucket loads. These are significant advantages for contractors because heavy excavation equipment and operators therefor represent significant capital outlay and it is desirable to optimize the amount of work accomplished per unit time (i.e., excavation/hour) in order to be able to provide competitively priced services and in turn to be able to realize attractive return on investment.
A problem which has been encountered with such approaches is the difficulty in removing ripper attachments from buckets when the ripper attachments are welded thereto. It is particularly inconvenient to perform such removal and/or replacement "in the field" or in situations where time is at a premium (e.g., in disaster cleanup applications, when weather conditions affecting ability to perform the work are known to be changeable, etc.). Removal and/or replacement may be necessitated by damage to the bucket or ripper or both or in response to the particular application for which the instruments are being employed.
Further, the number of attachments which are needed varies with the flexibility with which the attachments are reconfigurable for distinct applications. The capital outlay or fixed costs required in order to efficiently provide a full range of capabilities and the variable expenses associated with deploying the equipment (e.g., transportation, efficiency in use, downtime, etc.) are related to the utility realizable from each piece or attachment as well as the time required to effect a change therein.
Accordingly, it is desirable to realize as many functions as possible with as few pieces as practical and to provide these plural functions with greatest ease and flexibility.
A second, strongly desirable capability not commonly found on either backhoe buckets or on the front buckets of many types of excavating equipment is a capacity for making a cutting stroke or for grading or smoothing already-excavated areas on the backstroke, or draw of the shovel towards the body of the earth-moving apparatus.
In order to combat these varied problems, some form of device for enabling a cutting stroke or for smoothing or grading on the draw stroke is desirable. It is extremely desirable to be able to rapidly configure backhoe buckets in the field for as wide a variety of functions as possible.
The prior art has also provided variations of the above described apparatus for excavating, but none provide the desired range of capabilities concomitant with the desired low inventory of parts and the required library of functional capabilities.
While the various mentioned prior art devices function as apparatus for excavating and ripping, certain inherent deficiencies preclude adequate, satisfactory performance for the purpose of optimizing efficiency and utility of excavating equipment.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in bucket-borne rippers for excavating equipment.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved, field-detachable ripper attachment for earth-moving equipment buckets.
And another object of the present invention is to provide an improved, field-attachable ripper attachment for earth-moving equipment buckets.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a method for attaching and detaching rippers to and from excavating equipment.
Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide a ripper attachment configured for use with any of several buckets.
Yet still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a device for providing a scraping or grading function on the backstroke of a tractor bucket.
And a further object of the invention is to provide a method for coordinating breakup of material with excavation of the broken material in a field configurable instrument.
Still a further object of the immediate invention is the provision of a blade for the rear surface of a front bucket for excavating equipment.
And still a further object of the invention is the provision of method and apparatus, according to the foregoing, which is intended to facilitate ripper coordination with excavation apparatus.